A Home's Embrace
by Hammerfell
Summary: There weren't any stories about Skie. Now there is. Evil dragons are not only driven by greed, if they have the proper motivation. If Khellendros is not driven by greed or lust for power, then what does he want and why?
1. Politics

**Disclaimer **Anything you recognize I don't own, and if you don't recognize something, then it's most likely from the inside of my skull. Enjoy :- )

This is a story about the blue dragon Khellendros. He is not the most popular of characters, but I feel that his personality and his motivations should be interesting to develop. The large part written in italics is a flashback. I hoped that it would be obvious, but not too sure I succeeded. Even though I write for my own benefit, it's always nice to receive constructive criticism.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Politics

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Storm Over Krynn kept watch over the desert. He was certain that some dragon or other had claimed this barren landscape as their lair, but he had yet to find out whom. And so he kept watch. On his flight west as of yet he had not been disturbed, but that was most definitely a chance occurrence. He had better quickly assert his position in this world or Khellendros could suffer some serious setbacks.

This preferred terrain had been discovered after almost an entire day of flying, with short stops to feed and rest. The human villages he had encountered had of course not known him, but had tried to flee from his visage anyway. He had seen no cities, no elves, no dwarves, no kender. Only primitive humans. Dragons were in plenty abundance, though The Storm so far had kept his distance from them all, as he wished for no confrontation at the moment.

Khellendros glanced behind him. The mountain range at his back was thick, and he had noticed when he had passed over it that it was shaped like an open circle, with the gap facing northeast. Farther northeast from this there had been a forest. He had felt powerful magic emanating from there. That would require scouting on his part in the future. Notice had been taken.

As he turned to face west once again, he caught a glimpse of setting light glinting off scales. Brass colored. A metallic. Where were the blues? He would need an already established hierarchy if he was to have rapid success. He noted a second brass dragon. Closer. It was time for Khellendros to leave. He would stick to the desert, but only to the edges. He knew not how far into the waste extended the metallic dragon's territory. South and west was the way to go for the blue.

Night had spread its cover over the west for quite some time when Khellendros spied another blue to his north. The former overlord kept at the desert's edge, unwavering in his predetermined course of flight. Besides, that other blue was most definitely not a dragon overlord. It was much smaller than Khellendros himself.

_Khellendros felt the temperature drop. The mist around him swirled with half-viewed images, shapes of undefined reality. _

"_Kitiara! I am here!" His voice and mind called out to her, expanding and pulsing in all directions, searching. He waited for a response. Time and distance in this world was warped, could be twisted by its inhabitants for their own purposes, each as they pleased._

"_Hello Skie. I knew you'd find this wretched place again."_

_Khellendros faced her, trying as best he could to separate her much-faded consciousness from the dark surroundings. He felt pride welling in his chest, his lips parting in a draconian grin of self-consciousness as he conveyed his joy in his success to her, and the disappointment of his failure._

"_I told you last time I was here that I'd return for you. I was unable to bring with me a body suitable to house your presence. I will need some time to find another body."_

"_Have you found a way to transfer my existence to this body?"_

"_I wouldn't be here if I hadn't, Kit." Though he could not see her expression, he knew Kitiara was pleased with his long overdue report._

"_It's an improvement from your last visit." Khellendros waited until Kitiara next spoke. "You have found a way to give me a body, but you have not brought this body with you." The frown on her face was felt by The Storm._

"_I experienced minor annoyances on attempting to return here. However, with the proper magic I will be able to complete your transfer, and once we return to Krynn we will already have resources at our disposal. In the time I was gone I have found a suitable lair and built an army for our use."_

"_I'm getting excited Skie! How soon can you transfer my spirit?"_

"_I will need some time to gather artifacts to use the Window of the Stars again. I know of a world where I should be able to reunite the necessary magic. I am sure it will not take too long"_

_Khellendros could imagine Kitiara parting her lips in that trademark crooked grin that he loved to see._

"_Do it Skie." she commanded._

The Storm noticed he had started to descend and slow. He pumped his powerful wings to level out, keeping both eyes open and re-extending his senses outwards.

---

Several days passed, and Khellendros spied on the blue territory almost constantly, using his magic to disguise or hide his form. He had seen many dragons here, at least thirty. But a particular one had caught his eye; a male of large proportions who clearly was served by the rest; treasure was brought to him, he did not hunt for himself but others brought him food, and no dragon went against him. However, he was lazy. This overlord seemed too comfortable, yet the other blues served him. There must be something special about him. Khellendros had finally found his first objective. Now, to complete it.

On the morning of his ninth day in a world of dragons, mighty Khellendros, overlord of blue dragons on Krynn, made himself known to all others. His title, his nicknames, his achievements, were completely ignored and unheard of by every single blue dragon that saw him as he soared over the desert and heard his roars of proclamation.

"I am Khellendros, The Storm! Loved by Kitiara, feared by all else! And now, you all serve me!" was what every blue within auditory radius heard from Khellendros at that moment.

Quickly, the not soon to be anonymous alpha male was in the air to face The Storm's challenge.

"And I am Vrahtha, known to all as The Gauntlet! You are none to be making such proclamations! Serve as my lieutenant, and I shall allow your words to pass into oblivion."

Khellendros replied with a single, delicate word.

"_Esh_."

Thusly said, the newcomer quickly wrapped his wings around himself until the tips touched each other. As they did so, a small spark ignited between them. In a fraction of a second, the blue had opened his wings once again and then flapped them closed. The spark soared towards Vrahtha, growing rapidly and constantly into a fireball. By the time it had reached the dragon overlord, it had already surpassed a diameter of three meters. It struck The Gauntlet on his left wing joint, tearing the membrane and cauterizing the edges. Vrahtha furiously flapped his right wing in a futile effort to maintain his altitude, while screeching at Khellendros and breathing lightning bolts upon the other blue as quickly as he could. However, as Vrahtha crunched into the dust to lay there twitching, Khellendros gently descended his massive intact frame onto Vrahtha's back.

"A storm is unstoppable by any force. A gauntlet ceases its function when the hand inside it stops moving."

Khellendros swiftly leaned down and clamped his teeth upon Vrahtha's neck and twisted his jaws. The overlord came to the conclusion of his spasm.

The Storm raised his eyes to view his spectators as he withdrew his maw from Vrahtha's flesh. The blood on his muzzle served in the same way as a crown would serve on the head of a human king.

"Any doubts?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	2. Trespassers will die

**A/N **Here you may have some difficulty with the names. I have devised a cast/social system for dragons, which is how I view the dragon society of Krynn: all dragons will have a true name, and then depending on who they are addressing or who is addressing them they might be called by a certain nickname. Thusly if a major dragon addresses a minor dragon, the major will most likely call the minor by a nickname, refraining from speaking their true name. Calling another dragon by their true name is a show of respect and/or acknowledgement of their status. It might be confusing at first, but if you continue to read along you should get the hang of it ;-)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trespassers will die

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several days before the downfall of Vrahtha, the air in a certain spot seemed to shimmer, and then exploded outward in what looked like wind.

Icarniza lifted her head from the bloody carcass. She paused in her feeding to view the non-comestibles she had ripped off the human's body before she had begun her meal. The green chuckled to herself, something akin to purring, and thought about how ridiculous it was that the mortals still believed leather armor would be some measure of protection from a dragon. She had not yet lowered her jaws to resume her feeding when she felt a magical ripple run through the air around her. Immediately her senses reached out, trying to find the source. A blue was flying in the distance, but it was too far away to have caused such a powerful ripple in her vicinity from its relative location. She knew of no magic that would be felt from such a distance. Icarniza was sure of it.

Nothing seemed to follow. The powerful reptile hurriedly finished its activity and took wing.

_Above the forest, some way away… _ Khellendros glided on the humid air. He must be near a large body of water. Being in a world full of dragons, he knew that he must be careful, but his knowledge of powerful spells and his large size would ensure his ability to travel and move where others could see him. At least when and where he didn't mind being seen…

He needed to scout out his surroundings, find upon which dragons rested the balance of power. Firstly, The Storm would need to find a lair, an abode of some sorts. A place where he could rest and plan. He started a spiral to gain altitude and study the geography. When satisfied with the view he commanded, he stopped his climb. He could see the faint glowing of stars above and on the horizon through the faded blue of the sky.

His apparition here had taken place over an island that pointed north and south, covered in forests and with a mountain range the length of the entire western side. Farther west, and not yet more than a few kilometers from the island, was a landmass that disappeared west and south. Khellendros could see mountains and rivers, but the mountains, which ran north/south, prevented him from seeing further inland. To his northwest he viewed an island chain, very long. East, water. Nothing. The end of the world. He started to descend and glide, facing west. The ocean could wait.

_On the southern tip of the eastern island, called Yousta by generations of inhabitants, both human and dragon, Icarniza spoke into the caves where mountain met swamp._

"I was feeding to the north when I felt a burst of magic. I am not sure what it was used for, but it was definitely strong enough for a powerful spell. It was very fleeting, and after it passed I felt nothing else. I felt the incident was strange enough to draw your attention, Shachor."

Shadows were all Icarniza could see, until an enormous black fore claw was laid on the ground before her.

"Go, Tsavolite. Your report of this incident is, appreciated."

Pleasure vibrated though Icarniza's body upon hearing her title from the great black's lips. Nothing else was said, and Tsavolite knew that she was done here. While and after the green dragon returned to her lair, in its mind the black went through a list of dragons and mages that would dare come to his island. With a decision made, he exited the mountain's bowels and spread his wings in flight.

---

"Chiros!" The challenge made the rocky earth vibrate.

Shachor's massive dark figure dominated the mountain. His challenge was answered by an explosion of fire right in front of him. Shachor stood his ground, and in a few seconds when his sensitive eyes recovered, he was confronted ahead by a gold dragon of near equal size.

"You dare to come here." the gold growled. "Return to your blasted island immediately."

"You were on my island, using your damned spells. What were you doing? Spying on my territory?"

"Why would I have any interest in your wretched little landmass?" Chiros replied.

The dragons were at a standoff. The black had made an accusation, and the gold denied it. To end the argument there were few options. Shachor was slightly larger, but Chiros was on an outcrop, giving the gold the high ground. And the metallic one had powerful magic. They faced each other for a long time. Finally, Shachor made up his mind.

"You are not the one I seek for this transgression. But your time will come, my cousin."

With that said, the great black spat a trail of acid at the ground, and speedily flew back east off the continent to return to his lair. The gold dragon waited a few minutes to make sure Shachor didn't turn around, and then flew off to find other metallics. He was curious to find out who had recently been to Yousta.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	3. Revelations

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Revelations

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the moonlight, the metallic dragons swarming the skies were dark shapes against a cold background, vague notions of the colors of their scales the only identifying mark left by the unwilling light. The waterside was flat and large, allowing for those meeting to accommodate themselves equally.

The gold was the one to break the silence by the lake.

"So the conclusion has been reached that none of you, or your brothers or sisters has been east past my domain the last fortnight. Not even you, Tamnek." he ended gently and slightly amused.

The brass dragon looked away from Chiros and towards his fellows who were part of the joint guard.

"No, we haven't yet decided to remove that black snake with legs. Eventually we'll stop being lazy and just get it over with."

"Make sure to give Shachor our regards, Tamnek. We wouldn't want him to forget about us." said a little copper.

"Will do, Sash." Tamnek replied.

Chiros turned his attention to the silver as he spoke.

"What information can you provide us with Liandras? If none of us was near Yousta then who might have been?"

"The humans told me of a blue that came from the east but it didn't pass by them on its way east. However that doesn't sound too odd, since Tamnek has told me that blues have recently been adventuring past his borders. Vrahtha must want to extend his territory, but according to Tamnek, there haven't been any threats from him, as he would usually want to boast of his goals."

Sash interjected on the end of Liandras's report.

"Speaking of Vrahtha, some blues dropped his body into our bay. We weren't too excited to find that he didn't die of old age. There were burn marks on his left side and teeth marks in the back of his neck."

"Reds?" asked Chiros.

"Not dragon fire. Magic."

"Magic..." murmured the bronze.

---

Khellendros had created his own lair. He had found Vrahtha's to have a distasteful smell. At the moment he was laying outside in the starlight with his lieutenant.

"Continue my lesson, Streak."

"Yes, my lord." the lieutenant replied.

"In the eastern part of the desert, there live the brass dragons. Their leader is called Tamnek. We control the western desert, the northwestern ocean, and the southern hills, which border on copper territory. Farther south than the coppers are the white dragons, lead by Zirnyx. Slightly southeast of us and in the center of the continent, called Lon, the bronze dragons control a small sea. They are led by Pyendra. Farther east are the gold dragons, led by Chiros. They are the most powerful of the metallics. They control the entire east of Lon, right up until the island of Yousta. This island is east of Lon, with the north controlled by greens and the south controlled by blacks. North and west of Yousta there are many islands, called the Rings of Fire. That is red dragon dominion."

Khellendros still felt unsatisfied.

"There was a large forest north and east of here that I saw on my flight. Who dwells there?"

"Those would be the silver dragons, my lord. There have been reports of elves there as well, but the silvers allow no one to approach."

At the mention of elves, Khellendros felt excitement, yet refrained from showing it. Elves had an affinity for magic. There would most likely be artifacts there.

"Do our metallic brethren get along? Do they have a coalition?"

"Yes, lord, they do. They will send troops to protect each others' lands, and take each offense to their brothers as if it had been to themselves. Also many humans serve them as spies."

Khellendros pondered.

"Tell me what Vrahtha was in the process of doing. What were his plans?"

"He was planning on making contact with the reds. He was taking his time, however, because they are very secluded, and unless it involves them personally or their islands, they do not seem to care about events on the mainland."

Streak watched Khellendros as the overlord thought and saw into the distance. This new dragon, one he had never seen before, was now in command, and knew nothing of the world around him. Vrahtha had had many plans, but Streak was beginning to believe that Khellendros not knowing about them might serve his own purposes in the end. The minotaurs could prove extremely useful in the future, but he must keep that to himself.

"What of the minotaurs?" asked Khellendros.

Streak suffered an overpowering bout of silence. How could Khellendros have known? Did he read his mind? No, that was impossible. He knew of no such spell or innate ability.

Khellendros did his best to not let loose a grin. He was extremely amused with Streak. The lieutenant probably thought he had power over the minds of others. While examining the treasure trove of the late Vrahtha, he had encountered several minotaur weapons of extraordinarily beautiful design. One battleaxe even held slight magical properties. He only thus assumed that minotaurs must be around somewhere, although he had yet to see any.

Streak quickly rose above his surprise and continued his briefing.

"Several weeks ago minotaurs attempted to land on our shores. Vrahtha had us sink their ships from beneath the water line, so they would not know who attacked them. He was planning on later approaching them, with the offer that if they served him he would see to it that no more of their ships were attacked along the coasts."

There seemed to be a side of the former overlord that was calculating and quite clever. That reminded Khellendros of earlier thoughts.

"Tell me, Streak, why did they call Vrahtha 'The Gauntlet'?"

"That is a nickname from when he was no more than a hatchling. He could best all of his brothers and sisters in a fight without using magic. After a couple centuries he was stronger than any of his brethren, and so assumed leadership of the clan. He actually gave himself that nickname, my lord."

Too cocky for his own good, thought Khellendros.

"And have these minotaurs continued to try to land here recently?"

"They have not tried to sail our waters for two days." replied Streak.

"Then it seems time that their fears should be laid to rest." said Khellendros, retreating into his lair.

Streak lifted himself onto his four extremities, leaving Khellendros to sleep alone. Tomorrow he would see just how clever this new overlord was.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	4. Welcome aboard

**A/N: **I felt a sudden urge to write another short chapter…. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sentry stood watch at the bow, right hand on the hilt of his sheathed rapier. He stood watch during the early hours of morning. He stood watch while dawn lightened the sky at the end of his vision, at the end of the world which lay before him. As he observed the slowly spreading of light across the sky and water, broken by the other ships, he shivered. For reasons felt and not seen, he gripped the rail in front of him to prevent his shaking knees from collapsing, but was unsuccessful in doing so. His fearful eyes widened even further as a blue serpentine head much larger than his own rose from the water and looked into his eyes.

"Call out your fleet commander." it said.

The minotaur stumbled away from the rail, clutching his throat as though with his hand he could force his clenched larynx to give way to the air he most vitally needed. Pulling himself up, the bull-man did his best to walk in a straight line, calmly, yet succeeded only in moving his body in a false, jerking effort. He disappeared below decks, only to reemerge with the ship's captain, who held a horn in his hand. Following them came most of the sailors as well.

The captain felt the same effects as the sentry had, as the rest of his crew did as well, but he and most of the other sailors managed to stand erect and steady, some even staring straight at the dragon beside them as though to try and prove to this great serpent that the crushing fear emanated by it was not great enough. The captain raised the horn to his lips and sounded a strong, clear blast, but the single note evaporated messily when the leader noticed something new.

The sky was moving! Specks of blue would appear from the darker west sky, only to fly to the clearer east and then double back. But there were so many!

As the sound tripped outward to the ships around it, minotaur emerged from all the vessels. One of them began to move towards the origin of the blast. This ship was no larger than the rest; it's only visible differentiating characteristic was the flag atop the mainmast. By the time it pulled next to the ship that had emitted the horn blast, the great blue snake had risen from the water and gone to join the rest of the sky-pieces. However, another, larger serpent had already descended to meet the new vessel.

Khellendros picked out the commander by the weapons and the position that the minotaur stood in relation to the rest of the crew members. He landed on the ship's forecastle, and directed himself to the commander.

"Welcome to Lon. Do you know what I am?"

"You are a dragon. One of my captains has just told me that he smelled fear radiating from you, and yet it was his own and not yours. I feel nothing of the sort." This proclamation from the female was made with curiosity, as though she had encountered a new kind of plant and was comparing what she had heard to what she saw.

"Sometimes the other races will feel fear when we are around. We do not always intend it. Tell me where you come from." Khellendros nonchalantly feigned interest in the ship, pretending he had never seen one up close.

The minotaur commander couldn't help staring at the dragon. This enormous creature had no fear of her or her crew. It just sat there, inspecting the rigging, the sails, anything it could see. Such an impressive being involved in such a mundane and innocent activity was just, wrong. The sharp teeth, the sharp claws, the blue scales that were more armor than skin, those yellow eyes. There was nothing innocent about the visage. But it just sat there, inquiring where she was from. It was unnatural.

"What is your name, dragon?"

The head swiveled to look right at her. "You may call me Storm. Who are you?"

"I am Taran Din-Rea, commander of the Thousand Vessels. And you are sitting on my ship."

"What are you here for, Taran Din-Rea?"

"I have brought my brethren east to conquer the undeserving peoples there, but there is something in the water which will not let us approach land."

Khellendros rose and spread his wings. "Come east with me and I shall help you with your conquest. The sea dwellers that disturbed you are insignificant. Fear them not." As he elevated himself into the air, he called to his lieutenant. "Streak! Escort them."

Streak called out to several other dragons and together they descended to glide alongside the fleet.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: **What do you think of my impulses?


End file.
